Comments on: Morning links: Distrust at heart of labor issuehttp://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/2011/03/13/morning-links-distrust-at-heart-of-labor-issue/
Where there is no off seasonTue, 21 Jul 2015 19:27:18 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0By: Dukeshirehttp://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/2011/03/13/morning-links-distrust-at-heart-of-labor-issue/#comment-145157
Mon, 14 Mar 2011 23:23:34 +0000http://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/?p=10001#comment-145157It’s easy to get fired up about this whole thing. Lord knows I have been.

]]>By: STTBMhttp://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/2011/03/13/morning-links-distrust-at-heart-of-labor-issue/#comment-145154
Mon, 14 Mar 2011 23:06:16 +0000http://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/?p=10001#comment-145154Thanks, Dukeshire. Apologies for the tome. I was a little worked up. And I cant spell restaurant.

1) The NFL has no intention of opening thier books unless forced to, which is why they are so pissed the players turned to the courts. 1b) The NFL fears the courts will force thier books open. 1c) IF, and WHEN, the books are opened, many ugly things will come to light, not least of which will be multiple owners, and perhaps the league, to IRS investigation for tax fraud. The most obvious hinky trick the NFL most likely uses, is the hiding of profits by paying uninvolved family members huge salaries, or hiding profits in non-existent programs or “expenses”. Opening the books will expose these–IMO, rampant–illegal, immoral, and unethical tax dodges.

2) The NFL never had any intention of settling with the Union unless they got thier way, bigtime. The fact that they deliberately shorted short-term financial gain to build an unethical, and illegal, nest-egg with which to operate on through a lockout proves this beyond a shadow of doubt. Comments from Jerry Richardson and other owners make this plain. They want to “take back THEIR league”. This lockout was planned for and designed by the League. Their incessant PR ploys to smear the players and the union only make this ever more clear and obvious.

What the NFL wanted, and what they were sure they’d get, is a long-term strike without litigation, where they could blame the players for everything, then wait for the union to come crawling back, accept an ufair deal, and everything is great….for them, but not for players or fans.

3) The league, and the owners, have an immense ammount of hubris, and this caused them to treat the players–many of whom are fine businessmen themselves–with utter contempt. Without this treatment, a compromise might have been reached. But that goes back to my earlier opinion that the league and owners had no intention of settling. Multiple reports emerged throughout the bargaining session of players livid with rage at their treatment by certain owners (chiefly Jerry Richardson), and some of the owners comments were printed. Jerry Richardson has outed himself as one of the last of the old guard, plantation-mentality owners. His attitude is that a) Players are stupid b) Players are overpaid and c) If Players werent stupid and overpaid, then they would be owners, not players, and that a, b, and c mean that Owners are better than players, and therefore owed more money. It is that attitude, communicated to the players, that pushed them over the edge and caused the Union to decertify and to seek litigation.

4) Both sides are greedy. Both sides believe in the business model that a business is either growing or shrinking. As such, the believe that what best serves the NFL, owners, players, and fans, is an exponentially and continuinally growing league. To that end, its obvious that Goodell hopes to create the IFL, an international Football League, and that the costs associated with football will continue to rise forever and ever, amen. However, neither players nor the league is taking into account that the economy is faltering again, perhaps on the brink of a total collapse. They arent doing the math to see how many americans can actually afford to pay for an occasionaly NFL game, let alone season tickets, gear, etc. Nor are they paying attention to projections of increasing inflation robbing most americans of even more discretionary income.

To me, the NFL, both players and league, are headed straight for a cliff, and refuse to admit it. The rage that will be generated by a protracted strike/lockout/legal mess will focus until-now distracted fans from the immense greed on both sides of this issue. Im sure Goodell and company would love to see the day when NFL single-game cheap seat tickets are $1,000 a pop. But there wont be 60,000 fans per city with the cash to pay that, no matter how they want to attend.

For a little perspective, in 1993 Seahawks cheap seats tickets were $19.00. Now they are what, $60?! Do you make 300% more than you did at the same job 17 years later?! I know I dont. I make barely more than I did in 2000.

The league and the players better watch out they dont 1) utterly alienate too many fans by thier greed and hubris, and 1) Price too many of thier fans right out of thier ability to cheer their team on. Its getting to the point that I cant even afford to watch Seattle on TV, as I cant afford cable, and they arent often on local TV, and bars cost too much. Never mind attend a game once in awhile.

And no, I dont work at a fast food restaruant, I am a college graduate professional with a decade and a half experience in my field.

If your company, in the midst of is largest profit ever for years running, came to you and said “We’re not making the kind of money we used to. In fact, we’re losing money, so we expect you to tear up your contract and work for a 20% pay cut for the next decade.” ,then refused to allow you to see financial statements proving their claim, and then to top it off, insulted you and basically said “trust us” “Youre too stupid to understand our complex documentation anyway”, how would you respond?

Funny thing is, when the whole CBA expiring thing/strike/lockout began to seem real, sometime last year, I was blaming the union. Funny what happens when the facts start emerging.

]]>By: Dukeshirehttp://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/2011/03/13/morning-links-distrust-at-heart-of-labor-issue/#comment-145015
Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:21:02 +0000http://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/?p=10001#comment-145015It wouldn’t seem to be a conflict for her on any level. Perhaps Chuck can comment on this.

]]>By: Dukeshirehttp://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/2011/03/13/morning-links-distrust-at-heart-of-labor-issue/#comment-145011
Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:16:58 +0000http://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/?p=10001#comment-145011Andrew Brandt over at NFP has done a fantastic job of breaking down where we are now and what is likely to happen next. A must read.

I think the case was simply re-assigned to someone more familiar with this particular area of law, rather than Schiltz recusing himself due to some conflict or another. Politically speaking (sorry) Nelson would seem to be more sympathetic to the union than Schiltz may have been, if we’re going down party lines.

]]>By: CDHawkFanhttp://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/2011/03/13/morning-links-distrust-at-heart-of-labor-issue/#comment-145008
Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:04:23 +0000http://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/?p=10001#comment-145008So did Goodell go without the tie and unbutton collar to look like he is ‘working’?